This invention relates to an adjustable vehicle mirror, and more particularly to a mirror which can be both angularly adjusted and positionally adjusted towards or away from the vehicle.
Vehicles, such as trucks, are known to be provided with adjustable side-view mirrors typically positioned on both sides of the truck slightly ahead of the position in which the driver or passenger sits. It is important for such mirrors to be angularly adjustable to give the driver an optimal view of the rear surroundings on the sides of and to the back of the truck. The angular position of the mirror is adjusted not only to accommodate the requirements of different drivers (e.g., drivers of different heights are likely to require different angular positioning of the mirror), but also to accommodate changing requirements of the same driver as the size (length and width) of the truck trailer changes.
It is also known in the prior art that the mirror can be adjusted positionally towards or away from the truck or vehicle to change the view offered the driver. This is very useful when the size of the truck trailer is changed. For example, when a longer trailer is provided, it is normally desirable to position the mirror further away from the side of the truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,930 to Deedreek discloses a truck mirror which can be moved towards and away from the truck. However, the mirror assembly disclosed in that patent is problematic in a number of respects. For example, its construction is complex, does not permit angular movement of the mirror in the upward and downward directions, is expensive to manufacture, and is subject to easy breakage upon impact. Thus, the mirror assembly of Deedreek has not obtained wide acceptance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a truck mirror assembly which overcomes the problems associated with the prior art, offers convenience in use, and is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
To accomplish this object, there is provided a side-view mirror which comprises a fixed support fixed to the vehicle, and a U-shaped member including a bight portion and outwardly extending legs. The U-shaped member has the bight portion thereof secured to the fixed support, and has the legs thereof extending outwardly away from the vehicle. A moveable mirror housing has a receiving portion constructed and arranged to receive the legs of the U-shaped member, the mirror housing being manually engageable to be moved along a length of the legs upon application of sufficient manual force thereto to enable desired lateral positioning thereof for optimal side-view visibility. An engagement element is constructed and arranged to provide sufficient engagement between the receiving portion of the mirror housing and at least one of the legs of the U-shaped member to control movement of the mirror housing along the legs when application of the manual force thereto is discontinued. In addition, a moveable mirror unit is secured to the mirror housing in angularly moveable relation with respect thereto to enable desired angular positioning of the mirror unit.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims.
The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown.